Carpathian 00 - The Scarletti Curse

love the way you dress, piccola, but I find you far too appealing to the eye. Men look at you, and they see something that you, in your innocence, cannot conceive of. I know you wear little beneath your garments, and the gowns I have provided will cover you more adequately."
    She raised an eyebrow. "You have not seen them. And when I roam the hills, I must wear what is functional."
    Giovanni groaned as the thumping at the door became more persistent. His arms tightened for a moment, then he lifted her chin so that his black gaze seemed to capture hers. "I know you need reassurance from your husband, and there is much you do not understand, but trust in me, Nicoletta, for a while longer.
    Have faith in me." And he was gone as abruptly as he had left her on their wedding night, off to another of his secret meetings.
    Nicoletta stood in the middle of the bedchamber feeling bereft. She did need reassurance, badly. Her head ached from trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. The answers were there, just out of reach.
    The guards were waiting outside the bedchamber as she emerged. Giovanni was already out of sight.
    She didn't want to think about the curse anymore. She wanted to go out into the cool, crisp air and breathe in the sea. She wanted to look at her hills and be with the children.
    Nicoletta hurried along the corridor, self-conscious for the first time in her life. Things were not the way Giovanni had described. Her clothes were serviceable, simple, not made to draw the eyes of men.
    Sophie and Ketsia rushed at her as she entered the courtyard. Their faces were flushed from running, Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    their eyes shining with childish joy. "We were coming to get you!" Sophie greeted cheerfully. "You took so long."
    Nicoletta was pleased to see they were hand in hand, already firm friends. She kissed them both, laughing as they danced around her in their exuberance. The breeze was fresh on Nicoletta's face, bringing the sea with it. She looked from the laughing children to the garden of flowers, shrubs, and trees and felt alive again.
    Maria Pia smiled gently at her. "You have shadows in your eyes."
    Nicoletta glanced up at the row of windows. They looked baleful, staring grimly at her. "I went to look at the artwork in your bedchamber and almost stuck my hand into a nest of scorpions someone had placed beneath the coverlet on your bed." She said it softly, making certain the yelling children would not hear her.
    Maria Pia gasped, visibly paling. "Scorpions? Who would have done such a thing?"
    "I am very afraid for Sophie, not to mention you, Maria Pia I think the soup Sophie ate the night she became sick was tainted on purpose. The voices she hears are very real. I do not know why her life would be in danger, but I think it is. You must watch her at all times. I have already asked the don to place guards at your door at night. He is moving you and the bambina to another room."
    "Nicoletta!" Ketsia yelled. "Come on! Find us."
    Nicoletta watched the girls disappear into the maze. "I had better chase after them. If I do not wear them out before nightfall, they will keep us both up too late."
    "Ketsia asks more questions than any ten children," Maria Pia said with a smile, "and Sophie is beginning to follow her example. She is becoming more and more like a normal child. Ketsia is a good influence on her. I will watch over her all the time, Nicoletta."
    "Well, I will go chase the little imps down and let you have a much-earned rest." Nicoletta glanced back at the unsuspecting guards and took off running, a flash of bare legs and long hair flying, her laughter taunting the soldiers as the labyrinth swallowed her up.
    Maria Pia leapt out of the way as the two guards scrambled after their charge. Nicoletta was already well out of sight, running along the twists and turns, following the sound of the children's laughter. Small flowers were scattered along the paths, and beneath her bare feet the lush carpet of grasses felt soft and natural. She ran fast, lifting her face to the wind, feeling free. When Nicoletta knew she was some distance from the center of the courtyard, she slowed so she could enjoy the beauty of the maze. The shrubs were tall, well over her head, and very thick, forming a solid wall she couldn't see through.
    "Nicoletta!" Ketsia was giggling, her young voice carefree and happy. "Where are you?"
    "Where are you?" Sophie echoed. "You